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about: discomfort or finances... (by Dr. Wilson)The best way to deal with both of these fears is to come in for our thorough, complete exam - here’s why:1. SPOTTING ALL THE DENTAL PROBLEMS: The key to dental comfort is catching the disease process early! But the signs and symptoms of early dental disease are very subtle and easy to miss. When I used to do my exam and diagnosis all in one appointment it was so easy to miss things as I rushed through the process of; gathering information, diagnosing treatment, thinking about each patient’s situation, developing a treatment plan, and (yes) worrying about how to mention the "M" word ($). Now, the entire first appointment is spent focused on gathering information about your dental problems and needs . We use a check list to carefully exam 33 different dental categories and all 32 of your individual teeth. We also interview you, asking 15 questions about your past dental history. Complete dental radiographs are taken (20 highly detailed individual small films and one large panoramic film showing the entire upper and lower jaw - for a total of 21).2. FINDING ALL YOUR OPTIONS: I will sit down in our darkened consultation room and carefully review the 21 radiographs and the detailed notes from our checklists. I can hopefully save you some discomfort by spotting problems in their very earliest stages before they hurt. Then I will carefully determine what the possible quality solutions might be. I will give this information to my front office staff and they will determine the approximate cost (and if you have insurance, roughly what it will cover). 3. DOING OUR BEST TO COMMUNICATE CLEARLY WITH YOU: About 1 or 2 weeks after your exam appointment, we spend about 30-45 minutes with you communicating thoroughly about your situation. We discuss in detail; 1) the dental problems, 2) what happens if you do nothing, 3) treatment choices, and 4) the financial considerations (including insurance coverage) so fear of cost can be eliminated through open communication.Is this kind of quality exam, time consuming and difficult for us? To be honest, yes it is - as a matter of fact, we spend so much time and energy on it that our exam fee doesn’t begin to cover the cost. BUT it is more than worth it because of the quality treatment that it allows us to provide. |
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